Vulnerable
by Kuro Sasuke Uchiha
Summary: Sasuke and Hinata like each other, and Naruto is Hinata's best friend. What happens after a few drunk parties, truth or dare, a couple dates, and Sakura and Ino scheming something not-evil? Sasunaru, hinted SasuHina, KibaHina, KakaIru, etc. AU, definitely
1. I lost my job

Ok, hey peoples, I just came up with an (what I think) awesome idea, and I plan to write on it. Yeah, I know I still have to update my other story, but this just couldn't wait, ok? And I promise I will update that one, I just needed to write this one down.

So, of course, it's a SasuNaru, so **warning **there will be shounen ai, and maybe yaoi, but that's still an iffy.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, but I sure as hell wish I did. :P

* * *

"**Share with me the blankets that you're wrapped in**

**Because it's cold outside (cold outside)**

**It's cold outside…"**

I sighed as I walked down the street, listening to my iPod. My favorite song had just started playing, and I already wished my life was the song. Because it really was cold outside. Ironic, no?

I was freezing in my small attire: all I had on was pair of trousers, and a light shirt. It was November, and even though it wasn't the middle of the winter months, it was really cold in Konoha. I wasn't stupid. I had known that it would be cold at that moment. I just couldn't afford it, what with paying for rent, food, and bills, I couldn't even scrounge up enough to treat myself to some chocolate. I had a job, but it was the worst paying job in town, my favorite ramen shop. It was a pretty popular place, Ichiraku's, but didn't pay nearly as well as it should have. It was also the only one which would even interview me, ignoring my…past.

As soon as I got inside my apartment, I immediately felt the change of temperature, to the point where I could have probably tasted it. I looked around his room, my face blank, taking in all the items in there. It wasn't cluttered, like most people would have expected it to be, but very neat and clean. Everything, even the countless amounts of ramen, had its place. But it was also crowded, with obviously not enough room for a seventeen-year-old. Again, it was the best I could afford.

I looked at the clock, and sighed again, quickly changing, before slipping into bed. It was late, and I didn't even have to wait to fall asleep.

* * *

The next morning, I woke up and saw the sun shining in brightly through the windows. Crap! I'm going to be late for school! I had fifteen minutes left before it started. Without bothering to grab anything to eat, I grabbed my backpack, iPod in hand, and rushed out the door towards Konoha High.

The thing was, I lived in the smallest possible town that was somehow large enough to be called a city, and everything, I mean everything was named after it. Except for Ichiraku's, of course. Let's see, there was Konoha Preschool, Konoha Primary, Konoha Junior, and Konoha High. There was also Konoha Academy, Konoha Campus, etc.(1) So it wasn't really hard to remember the names of all the places.

I stole into my seat just as the bell rang, sighing in relief, and pasting a huge grin on my face, before turning to look around the classroom. Sakura, Kiba, Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, Shino, and Hinata were all there, along with a couple other people whose names I couldn't be bothered to remember. They were my friends. There was also Sasuke-teme (2), sitting at the back of class, glaring as usual. He had a problem like that, he just liked to glare for no reason at all, even when all the pretty girls came up to him, practically swooning over him. He'd just glare at them and send them all scuttling away.

At that moment, he turned to glare at me, and I glared back, before both of us turned our heads away, him at the wall, I'm guessing, and me at the teacher. Who looked very angry at the moment.

Ikibi-sensei, our teacher, was usually the kind of person who gave off a break-the-rules-and-I'll-make-sure-you-die-a-very-painful-death aura. But I guess I was immune to it, because I didn't even blink as he came up to me.

"Uzumaki, you were nearly late."

"Sorry, sensei. At least I'm here, right?"

"Be careful, Uzumaki, or you'll have another detention heading your way."

I nodded up at him, and stretched my grin for good measure, before he turned towards the class, and started the lesson. Ugh. History was so boring. I mean, who in the world cared if a man named Alexander the Great existed, and did whatever he did to make himself so great? I could have trudged across Asia and killed a lot of people as well, I just had the misfortune of being born a few thousand years later!

When the bell finally rang, I sighed and stayed back for a bit, waiting for my friends. When they finally caught up with me, I grinned up at all of them, especially Sakura, and I had to ask. Yes, I had to. "Sakura-chan, will you go out with me?"

I looked at her expectantly, already knowing the answer, but still somehow hoping. The response, same as always, began with the usual sigh, then glare, followed the usual are-you-serious look.

"No, Naruto, I will not go out with you."

"Please! Come on, Sakura-chan! It'll be fun!" I winked my left eye suggestively at the last word. Wait for it.

"NARUTO!" Slap. "How dare you say something so disgusting in the presence of a lady?" She looked like she was about to same something more, but just at that moment, the teme had to pass by, completely capturing both Sakura, Hinata, and Ino's attention. Yeah, I noticed all three of them at the same time. I was just awesome like that.

"Oh, hello, Sasuke-kun! How are you?" Sakura put on her oh-my-gosh-it's-Sasuke! voice, and fluttered her eyes up at him. It was rather annoying. She nearly grabbed on to his left arm, which was in his pocket, and Ino nearly did the same. Nearly. We could all tell that the Uchiha was especially pissed off today, so they tried to keep their 'flirting' at a minimum.

He looked even more annoyed at the sight of them, so he didn't say anything and kept walking. Ino, thinking she might be better off, and trying her luck, asked the same question, but was flatly ignored. Hinata, who was closest to the door, fiddled with her fingers, looked up at him shyly and blinked, before looking back down. We all noticed how he paused before her, nodding discretely, before continuing on his way towards his next class. I figured we should do the same, and started chatting it up with my buddies that were going to the same class as him, namely Kiba and Hinata. The others had science, with Asuma-sensei, for second period, while the three of us, and the teme of course, had art with Kurenai-sensei.

Kiba, who was standing loyally by Hinata's side, and I started talking about the latest upcoming party. Seriously, that was all we seemed to do now, in senior year. Go to parties, I mean. There was usually _at least _one every odd week, and five every normal one. All of them were thrown by either Sakura, Ino, or Hinata. Yes, Hinata. The girl may have been incredibly shy, but she had some _money_, to say at the least, like the other two. But we all knew why she even bothered throwing the parties.

To all the parties, the teme was invited. And he only ever showed up to Hinata's house. It was usually one of those times when I felt sorry for Kiba, who obviously liked her a lot, since there was definitely something going on between the Uchiha and the Hyuuga. Not to mention they made an odd pair. But hey, who was I to judge?…That's right, one of Hinata's best friends.

I kept floating through all those thoughts as I chatted with Kiba, my mind so used to it, it did it without me even noticing.

Huh, that was surprising.

I did not, however, realize when we got to the classroom, that I was actually in the classroom. So, naturally, I kept talking loudly, even when Kiba had shut up, embarrassing myself without even realizing it.

That was until I waited for a response from Kiba, or Hinata, whichever really, and got none. Then, a scary voice snapped me out of my stupor.

"Uzumaki, care to explain why you're babbling to the whole class about going to a party at Hinata's house tonight when you're supposed to be paying attention?"

I gulped. Audibly.

"Um…sorry, sensei?"

"Darn straight, you are! Next time you have detention! Go sit by Uchiha instead of Inuzuka or Hyuuga this time!" Why couldn't she just have said damn?

"Hai, Kurenai-sensei."

I trudged up to the back where the teme sat, grumbling about my luck, or lack there of in this case, on my way.

"Shut up, Uzumaki, before I make you." Yep, that shut me up all right. When had I started being so loud? Oh right, always.

I sat down without a complaint, but my face told the whole story. Well, at least part of it. Clearly, I did not want to sit next to the teme. By the look on his face, I wasn't his first choice either. Good, at least that cleared up some things.

The rest of art passed by in a blur, with me not even paying attention. Really, who needed to pay attention when you had mad awesome drawing skills like I did? Anyone? I didn't think so.

And for the record, I really did have mad awesome art skills. The only one who rivaled me was the damn teme.

I was so into my daydream about ramen that I didn't even hear the bell announce the end of class, until someone, a rude someone mind you, called out to me.

"Dobe."

Yep, that was it. That one voice that always got me on the edge, for some reason.

"Don't call me that, teme!"

"Hn." He ignored that and walked away, towards the door, where Hinata just happened to be waiting. Whether it was for me for him, I couldn't be sure. But I would bet that it was him, that bastard.

"Hinata?" I called out, and she seemed somehow reluctant to look at me as she turned her back to _him._ God forbid we not devour the teen with our eyes every second of the day!

"Come on, Naruto!" That was Kiba, and I listened to him. We, the three of us, and the teme, had science next. Great. Another day for another hectic blow up due to a fight, as the two rivals of the school got paired up, yet again.

Any guesses who the two are?

Luckily, today in science, we were watching a video, and taking notes. No chance of detention then, at least.

The rest of the day flew by in a similar manner, with fourth period Japanese with Hayate-sensei, fifth period Math with Kakashi-sensei, sixth period English with Iruka-sensei, and seventh period Gym with Gai-sensei. By far, the most hectic was gym, since Gai-sensei just chose to continue on about "the magic of youth." Or something like that. Man, I was starting to sound like Shikamaru. But then again, if my brain was always on autopilot in school, I guess I had a right to let it wander for some amusement.

The hectic thing happened to be that we were playing dodge ball. And the teme and I just happened to be on opposite teams. Meaning by the time the game was over, the only two left standing were us. Considerably breathless and extremely pissed off, of course, but still standing.

* * *

"What?" I shouted. I always did that, so I barely even noticed it. I had more pressing issues at hand. Like I was just getting fired for no reason!

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but the manager just doesn't think that you are good for business. It's gone down ten percent since you started working here. So we have to let you go. I'm sorry." She repeated. Her name was Ayane (3), the daughter of the manager. She was really nice, and I felt sorry for her having to deal with me all the time. I knew I could be a brat, but hey, that's what people loved about me.

"But…but…that's not fair! I _need_ this job, you know that! Please, Ayane-chan! What else am I supposed to do?" I had gotten to the point of whining and pouting. You know, that one pout that not even the devil could resist? With the puppy dog watery eyes, and the whole deal? Yeah, that one.

"N-Naruto…I'm sorry." She turned away, and I knew it was because she would get in trouble if she listened to me. Dejected, I turned away, stomping out of the place, pissed off at he manager. Wonderful! Just-fucking-terrific! I had just gotten fired at the only place that would even let me work, and now I somehow had to find some money to pay of my daily living cost. We all knew that wasn't going to happen.

Sticking my ear buds in my ears, I turned up the music from my iPod, not really sure where I was going, but letting my feet guide me to wherever. It didn't really matter where I was going, as long as I got somewhere.

And I ended up at the Hyuuga Palace. No really, that was what it was called. It was certainly one of the biggest houses in Konoha. It wasn't even a house, it was a mansion. Man, how I wished I had a house that huge.

I went up to the gates (Yes that had gate.) and smiled at the guard. He was a new one, from Suna, I was assuming, since all the previous ones had been from Suna. I just said Naruto to him, and he checked over the list of people that he had. At least, that's what I thought it was. I wasn't exactly sure, but it didn't really matter. After what seemed like a minute, he smiled up at me, and opened the gates, nodding in a friendly way towards the mansion.

Humming along with the song currently on, since I had put my iPod on shuffle, I skipped down the walk towards it. In front of the Hyuuga Palace was a large water fountain, stretching for about three hundred yards, with flowers surrounding it on all sides. The gravel walkway led up to it, before splitting into two, each heading off to one side of the rectangular fountain. On either side of the fountain, past the walkway, was one of those lawns that you only ever saw in movies with super rich people, looking like it was one of those 'sacred' things that should not be touched. It was all very modern looking.

That was until you got to the house, which was as far from modern as possible. It was a traditional Japanese house, with winding hallways, and only one actual floor.

At the door, I was met by the Hyuuga heir herself, Hinata, who smiled timidly at me.

"Ah, Naruto-kun, welcome. Come in." She let me in, showing all the manners as you'd expect from someone that rich and high class. Yeah, she was a great actress.

When we finally got to her room, she dropped at glanced at me with a ok-I-know-some-things-up-so-you'd-better-spill look. And spill I did. I poured my heart out to her, without giving her a chance to interrupt, not that she would have anyway. She listened without saying anything, still with a timid face on.

She paused, thinking for a while, after I had stopped talking.

"Well, maybe, I could get you a job here?"

Bah, I'd already heard it. "No, Hinata, that wouldn't be fair."

"And why not?"

"I didn't earn my way in."

"Isn't being my friend enough?"

"Nope. I'm still going to say no, no matter what."

"But, what if -"

"No, no, and no."

"Yes."

"No."

"Too bad, I'm doing it anyway."

"Well then, I guess I'm leaving."

"Fine."

"Fine."

We both glared at each other and then both eventually smiled. It was so typical of us to argue like that, it was now a routine. You would think that I would talk like that to Sakura, one of my best friends at school. Well, she just didn't understand me as well as Hinata did. Now, I know you're probably wondering what happened to the shy-as-hell girl who used to like me? Well, we settled that between us a long time ago, and were now closer than close. It was a shock to the both of us when we found out how well we knew each other without ever knowing each other. If that even made sense. Oh well.

"Well then, what're you going to do?"

"I don't know…" I sighed, helplessly. I seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah, Hinata?" I looked up to see her standing above me, and before I could blink, her fist was in my face. The girl may look slight, but she could seriously pack a punch.

"Ouch! Hinata! That hurt!" I added the words 'like hell' in my head, but I knew I wasn't allowed to swear in the Hyuuga Palace.

"Good to know that I'm not loosing my touch. It was supposed to."

"What was that for?"

"To get you to shout."

"Huh?"

"You know, you've been sulking around way too much, lately? I knew that would work, to get you back to somewhat normal, at least before the party."

As soon as it clicked, I started grinning madly, reaching up my right hand to scratch the back of my head when I could find nothing to say. She smiled back at me.

"How about you stay here for a while? I'm sure that you're going to be kicked out as soon as the manager of the hotel finds out you can't pay for the rent."

"Sure, thanks, Hinata!"

She nodded, obviously approving.

* * *

Music blared off the speakers everywhere. It was Linkin Park, which was alright with me. They were an awesome band.(4)

It wasn't a dance party, like most of the other senior parties. This was just one of those parties where everyone acted like they were five years younger and played truth-truth-or-dare-dare.(5) Of course, there was alcohol as well, and lots of food, and a lot of making out and stripping during the dare-dares. But that was just how we liked to play. Yes, even Hinata.

Even though it was a senior party, there were three people there who were older than us, but just by a year. It was just Neji, Hinata's cousin, who had incredibly long brown hair, like a girl's, and his two best friends, one being a brown haired girl named Ten Ten who was completely obsessed with weapons. The other was strange guy with a bowl cut and the largest eye brows, next to Gai-sensei's of course, who also seemed to always go on and on about the "powers of youth." His name was Rock Lee.

Yeah, we were definitely a strange bunch. So? We still had fun.

Then, the teme came.

Oh yes, that changed everything.

Let me take this chance to mention that Kiba, Ten Ten, Ino, Chouji, and Sakura were all drunk. Very drunk. The rest of us had either refused to take alcohol (or been forced to refuse, in Lee's case), or had just not drunk as much, as was the case for Hinata, Shino, and me.

When Sasuke came, the most noticed difference in the party was that Hinata changed her personality from a loudmouth like me to being one of the quietest people there. Ino and Sakura, of course, immediately clung to him. I glared at him, and he glared back, politely going to sit on the side of Hinata that was not occupied by me. Oh yeah. If that didn't scream that there was definitely something between them, then few other things could. Like most people thought, I wasn't slow. Well, I was, but not when it came to Hinata. I knew _everything_ anyone bothered to think about her, and she me. That's how close we were. We loved each other, no, not like that, just as friends.

However, I didn't think that Sasuke deserved Hinata. Honestly, she was too good for him. He was an asshole, and she was probably the most wonderful person I knew. They just didn't match up in my head.

Then it was my turn. To choose truth-truth-or-dare-dare, I mean. I felt like a challenge, so chose the latter. Big mistake on my part.

"Ok, Naruto, you have to either…hm…" Sakura thought for a moment, before grinning in a way that screamed 'Danger! Run for your life!' "Either," she continued; "You take off Sasuke-kun's shirt, suggestively, _or_ make out with Lee."

I stared at her, contemplating whom to choose. Rival or Lee? I wouldn't do that with Sasuke, ever, even for my life. However, it was Lee. _Lee. _There was _absolutely __**no way**_ that I was going to make out with Lee. Ever. So my only other choice was Sasuke. Unless, of course, I wanted to face the consequences. Which I didn't. Trust me, they were too gruesome to describe. And the three girls _always_ remembered who refused what dare. I shivered, and crawled over to the stiff Uchiha, who had been blankly staring at Hinata the whole time. It may have been blank, but it was definitely staring.

He didn't seem to know what was happening around him until I actually started creeping my hand up underneath his shirt. I was smacked very hard on the face at that exact moment.

"Hey!" I screamed, defiantly.

He gave me a look that said what-the-hell-do-you-think-you're-doing?

"That was my dare!"

"No need for me to go along with it."

"Well too bad, teme!"

"Shut up, dobe."

"Stop calling me that, teme!"

"Boys, shut up, or you both have to pay the _consequences._" That was Ino.

I held down a shiver as I heard those words, and I could tell that the teme did the same, even if he turned to glare at her. We would both be caught getting it on in the girls bathroom by a teacher (6) than face the consequences. Oh yes, they were _that_ bad.

I turned back to the Uchiha, and he glared at me, as I approached him again, creeping my hand up underneath his shirt, but this time, the only resistance I faced was the tightening of his smooth muscles. I smirked at him, and traced my hand around his body, touching a lot of places that Hinata only dreamed she could touch. I did it all very slowly. You could see my hands making small bulges under his shirt as I ran them all over. Suddenly, I crawled behind the teme, wrapping my arms around his slim, but definitely strongly muscled, figure, and worked my way up, along with the shirt. I moved my mouth right next to his ear, and started breathing softly on his pale skin. He hadn't reacted to all of the touches that was sure to be affecting him, until then at least. As soon as he was about to shiver, I saved his pride and pulled the shirt off his head.

I moved back to my place next to Hinata. _All_ the girls were gawking at him, occasionally turning to me, and then back at him. I guess the teme started to feel really uncomfortable under the looks of the girls sizing him up, so he grunted and put the shirt back on without a word, and a grunt.

The rest of the night passed in a very typical way. Everyone made out with everyone else, except for Neji, who had only had to make out with Ten Ten, his cousin, and me; and the Uchiha, who hadn't made out with anyone.

I did, however, notice him staring at me for a while before turning his attention back to Hinata right after I had made out with Neji. That was definitely strange.

When it finally got around to well past midnight, they left, filing out one by one. Kiba lingered a moment by Hinata before waving good-bye, and heading towards his car. I found myself hoping that he didn't crash into something dangerous on his way home, since he was drunk. I even considered giving him a ride home, but decided against it, since I wouldn't have been able to make it back to the Hyuuga Palace.

The Uchiha stayed back as well, nodding farewell to Neji, glaring at me, and nearly smiling at Hinata.

Wow, he liked her enough to try and smile? That was interesting, since he was believed to be devoid of all human emotions. I smirked at him, in a very superior way. He glared at me again, growling "dobe" before also disappearing into the night.

Once we heard his car drive away, we all headed back into the house, all of us too tired to bother talking as we made our way to each of our separate rooms, to turn in for the night.

Before I became unconscious for the next twelve hours, I found myself thinking about how glad I was that it was a Friday. That meant no school tomorrow, meaning I could sleep in.

The last thought I had was how smooth the teme's skin had felt against mine. I tried to shove that out of my head, marked as too disturbing a thought, but by then I was already asleep.

* * *

(1)Yeah, so I couldn't really think of anything better to call the places, but if you couldn't make it out, Konoha Junior is middle school, Konoha Academy is just a prestigious school, with all the standards except for college, there, and Konoha Campus is the college.

(2)Ok, so I know in most fics, teme is supposed to mean 'bastard.' Just so you all know, teme actually means 'you' in a very rude way, but whatever. For fic purposes, just assume that here, it means bastard as well.

(3)Wait, the name of the daughter of the manger of Ichiraku's _is _Ayane, right? I can't remember right now, so if I'm wrong, will someone please correct me?

(4)Sorry, to those of you who don't like Linkin Park, cause I know you're out there. I personally think they're awesome, so please don't judge this fic because of that.

(5)Two truths or two dares, and you have to do one of them, depending on which one you choose.

(6)Mind out of the gutter, people! There we go, all better?

**Anyways, that is probably the longest fanfic I have ever written (yes sad, I know). I got an awesome idea from the song and I really want to write on it, so please give me five reviews, and I'll be motivated enough to post the next chapter! Thanks, and I hope you liked it! XD**

**And, I have a challenge! I want people to guess on three things before the next chapter, 1) What the song is, 2) Who it's by, or 3) How long you think I'll write on the first half for the first verse. For those of you who guess right, I'll give you...well, idk, cookies, and mention I guess. And a hug! R & R plz! XD**


	2. A Day At the Fair

**Ah, hi! Ok, so here's the next chappie, cause enough people read the other one :D**

**I'm really happy, cause to me this in another one of those "long" chapters! It's seven pages like the other one! I'm so proud of myself, so I'm updating before I said I would, but that doesn't really matter to me anymore. :P**

**Warning: Shounen-ai, meaning boyxboy relationships. It's not in this chapter specifically, but it will be later on, and I need to do the warning thingies. Anyways, if you don't like SasuNaru, then why the hell did you even click on the story link? It said SasuNaru in the summary!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto....I want to -cries-**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

When I woke up, my head hurt like hell. Ah yes, the dreaded hangover had made its presence known. God, I hated it when that happened, but then again, I also hated getting drunk. That was only my third time, and God knew how good I was at holding my alcohol. God, -curse- those -curse- guys for getting me -curse- drunk! I cussed, but alcohol made the words just a little too colorful for me.

Getting out of the unusually soft, warm, and comfy bed, I stood up, stretching, before laying back down, to go back to sleep. From the sunlight outside I could tell that it was only about eight in the morning. Meaning, it was too early to be awake on a Saturday. Since I didn't have a job anymore.

And then it all came crashing back on me, the talk with Ayane, getting fired, coming to the Hyuugas', and getting a place to crash at. That was a lot to deal with in one day. Of course, I hadn't really dealt with it, but oh well. A guy can humor himself, can't he?

Groaning loudly, I pulled the covers back over my head, blocking out all the light, just so I could go back to sleep, when someone annoying knocked at my door. How did I know this person was annoying? Hello! They just knocked on my door as I was about to fall asleep. Maybe if I ignored them, they would go away…Nope, they wouldn't. And there was the knock, yet again.

"What?" I grumbled out, just barely loud enough to be heard.

"Naruto." A firm voice, definitely male, and Hyuuga-like, replied to me, but I couldn't be bothered to figure out who it was.

"What?" I groaned again. What was important enough to disturb me when I was about to sleep. I swear, the world had better be ending or else I'd make sure that whoever was outside my door would pay with some torture.

"Naruto, open the door." There it was again. I swear there was something annoying about that voice. It sounded so well disguised, without any emotion. I hated that. It reminded me of the teme. And another unpleasant memory chose make itself known right then: when I'd had to "suggestively" take of his shirt.

"Fine, come in! It's open!" I managed to grunt out, before pulling the covers off my head. Damn the sunlight, it could just take its -curse- shininess and shove it up its -curse- ass. And I thought I liked mornings. Apparently not.

"Good morning, Naruto. You seem to be in a pleasant mood." I looked up to find Neji standing in the doorway, looking too high and mighty for my tastes. There was mock sarcasm in his voice. Making up my mind I took in a deep breath.

"Hey, Neji! What's up?" Yep, that's what I said. Surprising, no? Especially after all those colorful words at the morning. But my voice sounded bright and happy and that was all I needed to be sure of.

"I just came in to let you know that the family will be out today, and was wondering if you would like to do something this afternoon. Hinata-sama is unavailable, so I thought I might offer myself up to be your chaperone for the day." His voice sounded so controlled, but I like the offer. It might be nice to hang out with someone like Neji for a change. He was definitely fun when he wanted to be, and I think he wanted to be fun today.

"Sure, that sounds great! Where should we go? Oh! Let's go out for ramen! And then, let's go to the festival! Can we please, Neji?" Now, I was really excited about the festival, since I hadn't had a chance to go to it yet, and I was pretty sure it left town pretty soon. I really hoped that he would agree, but it turned out that I needn't have worried about his response.

"Ok then, Naruto. Ramen, and the festival, sounds like a plan. I'll let the maids know we'll be gone and how to reach us. Breakfast is out in the dining room. Anything else?"

I shook my head no, and smiled brightly at him. Something about him faltered for a moment before he pasted a smirk on his face and continued out of the room. I wouldn't ever admit it, but I liked having people look after me. It was a nice feeling, especially when they followed you around like your own personal servant. It made you feel like you were someone really important. And that was how I always got treated when I was at the Hyuuga's.

Still smiling, I got out of the bed, reluctantly, I might add, and headed for the shower, sighing with delight as the warm water snaked its way around my skin, and I was surrounded in its steam. When I got out, I dressed myself in the clothes I knew I had in the closet. This room was there exclusively for my use, since I stayed over so often. Then, I made my way down to the dining room, which was of course, old fashioned traditional Japanese, and quickly gulped down the onigiri (1) on the table, pausing only for the rare drink of water. Before I finished, I was joined at the table by Neji, who was still smirking at some joke that I didn't know about, so I decided to ask him about it.

"Hey, what's so funny?"

"Hm? Who said anything was funny?"

"No one, but you have that look on your face, the one that just screams that you know something I don't, so spill!"

He blinked a few times, gathering up all I said, before answering. "There is nothing important that I know that you don't know, Naruto." And then, he went back to smirking. God, that was starting to get really annoying.

"Oh, come on, please?" I pulled my face into the pout that I knew no one, but the Ice Princess, could resist. Apparently, I was wrong. He looked at my face for a second before realizing that I was pulling the pout on him, before shaking his head and turning away from me. What the hell? He did not just turn away from my pout! Oh yes. He did. Did something about my pout change or something? I did a mental check to make sure, and there was nothing wrong with it. Maybe it was because he turned away so quickly, he may not have noticed it. Yep, that was probably it. My pout was too cute for anyone to resist, and boy did I know it.

"Whatever, man!" I was starting to get annoyed by his indifference, and I really wanted to know, so I changed my approach, and played it cool.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"I -- never mind."

"…"

The rest of breakfast was pretty quiet, but I could swear that someone was watching me. It felt creepy being stalked, and I involuntarily shivered. I could see that caught Neji's attention, but didn't say anything about it. He wanted to be a jerk, then he could just go right ahead and be one. My mind was focused on other things. Yes, I was thinking. I did that a lot, unlike the popular belief stating otherwise. I was just skilled enough to think and talk at the same time. And smile, too.

* * *

We were walking down the shopping area in the festival, surrounded by numerous objects, like stuffed-toys, food, souvenirs, and even some clothes! I was really excited, and you could definitely see that, since I pretty much ran from one stall to the other with my eyes the size of dinner plates, and my mouth hanging open. I only ever got to see that much stuff in one place during the festival, and the festival came around once a year only, for about a week. I had yet to miss one so far, and I was proud of my record.

There were so many things that I wanted to buy, but every time I reached for something, a voice in the back of my mind reminded me that I was jobless, and that meant I was broke. Any penny I found would have to go to a direct savings account that I trusted the Hyuuga's to keep safe for me. Boy, did it suck going around a place filled with stuff you want to buy, but not be able to buy them! But, apparently, I was lucky, because as soon as I reached for an item for the fifth time (this time, the item being a cute little fox), and I drew my hand back, Neji extended his hand. And it had money in it. A lot of money. Enough to pay for the fox. That I wanted. Really bad. Knowing what he would expect, I acted confused towards him, partly, though, because I was. What did he think he was doing?

"What, Naruto?" he asked, once I tapped (more like pounded) him on the shoulder.

"What're you doing?"

"Paying for the fox."

"Eh? Why?"

"I want it. I have someone I want to give it as a present to."

And my face fell. I had seriously hoped that he was getting it for me, somehow wishing that he knew that I really wanted the fox.

"Cool. Who're you gonna give it to?"

"That's a secret…" he whispered that part, and it got on my nerves. A lot.

"What the hell? What is with you and secrets?"

He just smirked at that, so I just hmphed, turned around, and walked away, towards the part of the festival with the rides.

Oh yes, we can not forget the rides! They were the best part! As soon as I was within range of the Ferris wheel, I ran up to the counter and demanded to go on it. Very loudly. The evident cringe of the salesman did not go unnoticed by me, but I ignored it and beamed at him. A bit afraid, and a bit scornfully (he probably knew who I was), the man handed me the ticket, and I bounded right up to the line. I felt a familiar presence behind me, and I didn't have to turn around to know that it was Neji. Who else could it have been?

Me, being, well, me, I started blabbing about everything as soon as I sensed he was within hearing range.

"Hey, Neji, after this, can we go on the roller coaster, please? I love those things! Oh, and after that we have to go to that water thing! Can we go to the Mirror House, and the Haunted House too? Oh, we have to go to the Haunted House, it's classic! And what about the ramen shop?! You said you'd treat me to ramen, so don't forget! Oh, let's go there now, but we can't, can we, cause we have to go on this ride first! Wow, we're up at the top of the line already? Cool, Neji, let's go!" At that moment I decided to check in on him, since he hadn't interrupted me the whole time. That was a new thing for him.

I was still in a bouncy mood, and I had my eyes nearly shut, with happiness, so I didn't really catch myself as I ran right into something hard and well muscled. And warm, definitely warm. Whatever I ran into was hidden by a layer of clothing, that, for some reason, I wished wasn't there at the moment. I'd never realized that Neji was so…well, hot. Now, I wasn't blind. I could see perfectly well. I just had a little trouble distinguishing between what was considered hot, and what wasn't. I mean, I knew there were some people that basically screamed "I'm hot" but for the most part, I didn't really go around looking for those people. Actually, I didn't usually go around looking for anything at all. The point was that I usually needed to, well…feel someone to tell if they were hot. And bumping into him was enough for me.

I finally opened my eyes, because I knew I was flushed at the moment, and forced it back down, before looking up at who I thought was Neji. Sadly, I was mistaken. I was highly mistaken. In fact, I was so mistaken that I wanted to die of embarrassment. I was so mistaken that -- well, you get the point. You want to know who I ran into that could possibly make me want to die? Well, don't worry, I'll tell you.

It was the Uchiha. The teme. The cold-hearted bastard. The Ice Princess. The pretty-boy with the glare that could melt a mountain. Uchiha Sasuke. Yeah, him.

I could have continued insulting him, trust me, it's one of my favorite pastimes, but there was something I was concentrating more on. Oh yeah. (Can you tell why I would have died right then and there, yet? Well, you're about to find out.) His eyes.

Like usual, they were coal black, contrasting heavily with his pale complexion, with a glare set in place. But, those onyx orbs also had something mysterious and strangely alluring about them. Even though they were partially hidden by his hair falling in front of his face, they still stood out to me. I stared into them, as he stared back into mine, and I could feel myself being drawn closer and closer to him, and nothing existed but him and me. I would have continued gazing into those wonderfully deep pools of black, like the endless night sky, except darker, but at that moment, a flash of red appeared in his eyes, and disappeared just as quickly. If I had blinked, I would have missed it. Surprised, I drew back, breaking our momentary contact. It felt like it had been hours, but still the time was too short for me.

Shaking my head, as if to clear it, I looked up at him again, searching for the captivating sense I had seen there, but it was gone. The eyes of the Uchiha had turned back to the same old glaring pair, so instead I chose to yell him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, running into me like that, teme?!" I ignored that fact that it was technically me that had ran into him.

"…"

"Answer me when I'm talking to you!"

"…"

"Ugh! Do you ever talk?"

"…"

"…" This time, I glared straight back at him, without saying a word, waiting for him to do something. Anything, really. But he just kept on glaring like the king of the world that he thought he was.

"Seriously, what is your problem, teme?"

"…" Glare.

"Wow, that explains so much!" Yeah, I knew my tone was sarcastic, but I still didn't care.

"…"

"Why do I even bother?" That was more me thinking out loud than an actual response to his silence. I was about to say something more, when someone, this time, the actual Neji, called out my name.

"Oi, Naruto!" I turned eagerly to meet him, pissed off by the person currently next to me.

"Hey, Neji! Where were you?"

"Where were you? You just disappeared from my side! Do you know how much I was worried about you?"

"You were worried? Oh, well sorry, man, but I really wanted to go on the Ferris wheel."

"You could have told me…Ok, well then let's go."

"Yay!" I literally screamed out loud when he agreed, and raised my arms above my head, but accidentally hit the bastard standing next to me in the process. He just grunted in response, and suddenly a sharp pain spread over my head. I immediately clamped the back of my head with my hand, already feeling the bruise that was going to be there. I turned to glare at the person who had decided to hit me. He glared right back. We would have continued our glaring contest had it not been for a certain Hyuuga interfering.

"Uchiha." Neji nodded towards him, giving him a glare, that, even though I'd never admit out loud, was a lot better than mine, and could actually rival the Uchiha's glare.

He didn't reply. He just kept glaring. I swear that glare was set in his face. He probably wasn't even capable of changing his facial expression. I tried to imagine him with a smile, and my mental image was so totally distorted, I started chuckling They both turned to look at me, on surprised, the other still glaring. Looking at the bastard's glaring face, I laughed even harder, now clutching my sides for support. Hey, can you blame me? It was funny!

"Ok, well, Naruto, let's go, we're holding up the line."

"Not that they'd mind, they seem to be enjoying ogling the bastard."

"…" Glare.

Resisting the urge to reply to the glare with a punch of my own, I grabbed Neji by the hand, and walked off towards the man standing next to the next cab (2), waiting for the next passengers.

* * *

The day had passed by quite quickly, if I really thought about it. The one thing that bothered me in the slightest was the meeting with the Uchiha. For some reason, even as I was going to talk to Hinata (who had finally come home), I kept thinking about him. But, I knew I couldn't bring him up. She liked him too much, and would be too busy thinking about him to help me out any. I would have gone and talked to Neji, but he just glared and became very quiet whenever the Uchiha was mentioned. I didn't even consider talking to Sakura, or Ino, because I knew they'd become all fan girly as soon as his name was mentioned. Shikamaru would complain about how troublesome I was being, and doze off; Chouji would…well, eat; Kiba wouldn't care, or say that I liked him or something (Yuck!); and Shino would be…well, Shino. None of them would be any help, so I had to keep it to myself. That helped a lot.

So, as soon as I knocked on Hinata's door, I forced the bastard to the back of my mind, so I wouldn't think about him, and rearranged my features to look like I was high on something, like I usually looked. It wasn't that hard really, I was so used to it, I just hoped that she wouldn't look straight past the mask, like she usually did. Apparently, that was too much to ask.

As soon as got a look at me, her expression changed to the one where she was about to ask what as wrong, so I held up both my hands. She let me in, and I sat on her bed, as she headed towards her computer desk. She was always on the computer, doing something or the other, but no one really knew what. That's when an idea popped in my head, and I had to ask her about it.

"Hey, Hinata, I have a question. Do you talk to Sasuke-teme when you're on the computer?" I knew my answer as soon as I asked the question. She turned completely red before I even finished, and was looking away, instead of answering me. If she had talked, she would have gone back to her stuttering self. So she did talk to him. Heh, nice.

"So you do?"

"…" No reply.

"Really? So that's how you two know each other so well."

"…" Again, no reply, but this time, she nodded.

"Wait that means…You talk to the bastard nearly every waking moment of everyday!" I could conclude that because she was always, and I mean always on a computer, even at the school. And if she somehow didn't have access to a computer, she was texting. It was so constant, it sometimes got annoying for the others. That was because she never took time off for them, like she did for me. Take that, my friends. But anyways, back to the moment.

"Come on, Hinata, at least say something."

"W-W-Well…" Hah, I was right. She went back to stuttering.

"Hinata?" I pulled up my pout, just to make sure it still worked, and man, it worked wonders! Ok, well, that was exaggerating, but you get my point, right?

"Yeah, we talk. A lot. All the time."

"And how far have you gone?"

"…"

"Hinata, are you hiding something from me?" That hit the right spot. She was all about trust and sharing secrets, so she would feel guilty for hiding this from me. I felt kind of bad for pulling that card on her, but I really wanted to know, and I knew she would forgive me for doing it, 'cause she probably really wanted to tell someone.

"We're dating. We've done a lot of things…"

"A lot of things like making out? Or…Or sex?" She turned even more red than she was before, if that was possible.

"N-Naruto-kun! Only kissing!" When she realized what she'd just said, she clamped a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening in shock.

"I thought so." I smiled up at her, a true smile, the one that made people feel all weak-kneed. At least, that's what I'd heard.

"…"

"Well, is that bastard hurting you? More importantly, are you happy?"

"…Very…"

"Well then, congratulations! Now I have something to pull over that bastard! Wait, who else knows?"

"…Uh…No one…"

"No one? No one?"

"…" She shook her head.

"Wow, Hinata, you should tell some other people, at least. Well, maybe not his fan girls, but our friends at least."

"Um…"

"Let me guess…He doesn't want people to know?"

Again, a nod of her head.

"Ok, well then, I don't know what to tell you. Is he online now?"

Nod.

"Tell him hi for me. G'night!"

With that, I left the room, before the strange feeling in the pit of my stomach showed through. I wasn't exactly sure what it was. As soon as she'd mentioned that they were dating, it started, like I wanted to crush something. Not her, I knew that, never her. She was too amazing to crush. I realized that after I returned from my trip. I'd never realized how much I'd missed her quiet atmosphere and shyness. At that time, I'd actually liked her, but then, she had gotten over me. That was when she'd started liking the bastard. But now, she was just a friend to me, my best friend, and I was supposed to feel happy for her because she was happy and she'd gotten the guy she'd been wanting for the past three years.

Yeah, that's how long she's liked him, three years. It started a year before I came back from my trip, and now she was seventeen.

But, I wasn't happy. I felt almost sick, but I didn't know why. Like, she shouldn't be with him. That was completely stupid. There was no reason my best friend shouldn't find happiness with the guy she liked, albeit he was a little strange. If I really thought about it, they made a cute couple, in a strange sort of way. They were both quiet, he was the aggressive type, while she was shy, they were both smart, talented, and both came from rich families. I could imagine them as a couple, next to each other, she looking incredibly happy, and him, smug (cause that was the closest I could imagine him to being happy). But that still didn't explain that feeling in my stomach.

I knew it wasn't the ramen; the feeling had only started when she mentioned dating him. So what was it? I was so deep in thought (le gasp!) that I didn't realize when I came to my door, and nearly walked past it. When I entered, I yawned, widely, and looked over at the clock. Dang, no wonder I was sleepy. It was nearly midnight!

I made my way over to the comfy, and welcoming, bed, relaxing almost immediately in its warmth. I was about to fall asleep, but a thought still lingered in my head.

I was tired of thinking about the dating thing, so I'd already dismissed that thought. No, what was in my mind was his eyes. The ones that I'd been so captivated by at the fair. Those mysterious dark orbs that seemed endless, and yet seemed to have something in them, instead of the usual blank ones. Like they were trying to tell me something.

Then, I remembered the flash of red across his eyes. I wondered what that had been, but I knew one thing for sure: It made me afraid. Most people were afraid of his glare, but something about me made me immune to it, almost from the moment I had met him. But that had made me fearful for my life. Like I was some weak thing that I knew he could snap in two if he wanted to. It had been filled with anger, a hatred that I recognized, but refused to acknowledge. That hatred used to be there in my eyes when I was younger.

I shook my head, banishing all the memories that threatened to break free at the moment, instead focusing on what could have happened to him to make him have that look. If it hadn't been for that flash, I was sure something else would have happened. Something that would have pissed Hinata off. Something that I knew I would regret, and I hoped that he would too. We would have kissed.

I knew that's how strong the pull between our eyes was, like it was dragging us together. But, the question was why? Why did I even care about that? Or how hot he looked when his eyes had that red flash about them.

There was nothing at all remotely disturbing to me about thinking that a guy was hot. I had accepted that I was bi a long time ago. But, the problem was that I didn't like anyone. Sure, I asked Sakura out nearly everyday, but that was just out of habit, more than want. So why him?

I smiled up at nothing in particular. He was affecting me already, I could sense that. Normally, I wouldn't have thought this hard over him. Hell, normally, I wouldn't have even thought this hard over anyone! This was strange, so I just shook my head, and dived right back into the covers. Except I still had a small problem. What the hell was I supposed to do about him?

* * *

_(1) Rice balls, also known as omusubi. They can be eaten for breakfast, and they taste really good._

_(2) I don't know what else to call them, so they shall be known as cabs. If you know what they are called, please point it out._

**Ok, so that's the end of that chapter...Don't ask me what was the point of it, cause I won't give you an answer.**

**But, plz, review, it really does help me, you know? Thanks XD**

**Next chapter should be up in about a week, so look forward to it! (But then again, this is _me_ you are talking about, so it could be longer, who knows? But, it'll be up! :P)**


	3. A Job and a Shock!

**OMG, it's been _so_ long since I last updated, I'm so sorry! I get to skip school for the next couple of days, so I'm going to do my best to post at least one more chapter for this story, and another chapter for my story "I Can't Believe You're Gay!" Wish me luck!**

**This is something I forgot to do last chapter, so I'll do it now: **Virtual cookies to: **Sweetness Theory**, for guessing the song right! And hugs! Thanks a lot for reviewing!!

**Also, thanks to: rglover**, for correcting me on the Ayame/Ayane thing. I really forgot, and it was too late in the night to check, so thanks for letting me know, I really appreciate it! Here, you can have some cookies too! Thanks for reviewing!

**Warning! There is shounen-ai! Don't like, don't read.**

**Disclaimer: Why couldn't I have come up with something as awesome as Naruto, before Kishimoto-sama? Now, he gets to own it. But at least the OC's are mine...-sniff-**

ENJOY!!

* * *

**Chapter 3**

"…**Share with me the secrets that you've kept in**

**Because it's cold inside (cold inside)**

**It's cold inside…"**

I woke up, got dressed, ate breakfast, went to school, went back to the Hyuuga Palace, did my homework, chatted with Hinata, and then went to sleep. It was my daily routine, and even though it had only been a few days, I could already feel myself falling into it. I was also incredibly annoyed at it, reason being I really had nothing interesting to do. Sure, during the weekends, Neji always offered to hang out with me, but I couldn't always be with him! Lately, I'd started turning him down, telling him to hang out with his friends, Ten Ten and Lee. He'd nodded, but he hadn't looked overly enthusiastic. I could've hung out with Sakura and Ino, along with Shikamaru and Chouji, but that wouldn't be too interesting either. The girls would start talking about hot guys, Shikamaru would start muttering to himself about how troublesome it all was, and Chouji would just want to eat. Shino, Kiba, and Hinata were also out. Hinata was always "busy" to all the others, since I was the only one who knew what she was actually busy with: Sasuke. I couldn't, however, get rid of the feeling that Shikamaru knew something about it too, but I wouldn't be surprised by that. He was too much of genius to not figure it out. Under my encouragement, Hinata had finally invited Sasuke over for a date type of thing, and they'd spent almost every day together after that. Kiba, lately, was always sulking around without Hinata always by him. And Shino…well, Shino was just kind of creepy, and he'd started sulking too, but I wasn't sure about what.

So that left me, again, at square one, where I'd originally started. That really didn't help. Sighing, I forced myself to get out of bed, and followed the first part of my daily routine. It was the weekend, so there was no school today, and I'd already told Neji last night to do something with his friends. Hinata was gone with the main Hyuuga family to some kind of meeting or something. The rest of them were busy. Damn, I really hated how all the others always had something to do during the weekend. It was like we were some sort of popular group that I only pretended to be a part of. For them, there was never a boring day, and they may have been my friends before, but we barely saw each other outside of school now. It really sucked.

Before I knew it, I was again walking down the street towards my apartment. Or what was my previous apartment, since I couldn't live there anymore. As usual, I had my iPod with me, with the ear buds stuffed in my ears, listening to some song that I couldn't remember the name of. I started humming along with the tune, before I remembered it: I'll Follow You Into the Dark, by Death Cab for Cutie! DCFC was definitely one my favorite bands, and I loved their music, especially the lyrics. I'd learned how to play the guitar mainly because I wanted to play their songs.

As I was making my way down the street to nowhere in particular, I noticed the small café that had always been there, lighted brightly, as if ready to welcome anyone into it. There weren't that many people in there currently, but I could see that they all had a strange air of peace about them. They looked really happy and comfortable in the shop. But that wasn't what made me enter the shop: it was the "Now Hiring" sign that caught my eye the most. It looked like a decent enough place to work, especially if I tried to work over time. I could definitely make some money, maybe even enough to move back into my apartment!

Excited at the thought, I walked into the café, with every intention of getting the job. I went up to the counter, where there was a brown haired girl smiling as if something wonderful had just happened to her. When she saw me, she straightened up, and kept smiling, but lost the far away look from her face. I noticed that she had a pale-olive complexion and round light brown eyes. She looked to be about my age, maybe a bit older.

"Good afternoon, sir. How may I help you?" This was apparently one of those places where you went and sat down, and a waiter came to take your orders.

"Um…well, I saw the 'now hiring' sign outside…so, I was wondering if I could…um…" I couldn't really figure out how to phrase the rest of the sentence. I'd always had trouble with this kind of formal stuff, and it sure as hell wasn't changing now.

"Oh! That's great! I'm sure the manager would be excited to see you right now! Please follow me this way!" She seemed a bit more awake as she showed me the way. I walked in past the "Employees Only" area, and we kept going, until we reached a door at the opposite end of the room, labeled with a simple "Manager." I suddenly felt a bit nervous: what if the manager was against my "past" as well? If that was the case, I'd be thrown out of the café as soon as he'd laid his eyes on me. That wasn't exactly a good thing. But, the girl didn't seem to know who I was…Maybe the manager was the same way? I sure hoped so.

My thoughts were immediately halted as soon as I saw the manager look up at me. Ok, so it wasn't a "he." The manager was a she, and a very pretty she at that. She had strange looking brown eyes, and an olive colored heart-shaped face. Tied up behind her head, in a ponytail, was a thick load of red hair so violent it was almost an orange color. She looked, at most, to be twenty-three, which was pretty young, but was probably younger than that. She was smiling skeptically at me, as the girl next to me told me to sit down. The girl told the manager that I was here for the job, and stood behind me, as if expecting something to happen.

"Hello. My name is Naina (1). I am the manager of this small café, and that's Rani (2). There's one more person that works here, but his shift doesn't start for another half an hour. You want the job right? Who are you and what do you know about working in a café?" She spoke really fast, and it me a while to make out what she was saying. Naina and Rani, huh? Those were strange names that I'd never heard before. But that didn't really matter. It seemed that neither of them knew of my past, and that meant they would hire me without any mishap. Well, as long as I seemed fit for the job, they would.

"Hi, Naina-san. I am Uzumaki Naruto. I am seventeen years old, and I go to Konoha High. I've never worked in a café before, but I know how to handle customers in a restaurant, and how to act as the clerk. I've worked as a waiter before, at Ichiraku's."

"Really? That's great!" She looked really excited now, and her eyes sparkled with glee. "You're hired! Rani show him around the café and teach him how to use the locker room, the coffee maker, and the bakery! By the way, Naruto, just call me Naina, the '-san' part makes me feel old, and I am only twenty-three." Wow, I'd guessed right! That was awesome! What was even more awesome was that I had gotten the job! I had seriously gotten the job, even with my low amount of experience.

Nodding happily, and thanking Naina, I followed Rani-san out towards the locker room that we'd just passed. It wasn't that large, but it had enough space for a few people to spread out in. Past that was the "kitchen" area, I guessed. I was right. Rapidly, Rani-san started explaining all the places to me, and pointed everything out. I barely kept up, but I was sure she'd explain it to me again if I asked her. I could tell that these were nice people, unlike those who I usually went to work for.

"Now, Naruto, right?" Her question brought me out of my head.

I nodded excitedly, being extremely eager as well. "Yep, that's me!" Hell, I was so excited, I was nearly jumping with joy! I had finally gotten a job!

"Well, Naruto…uh…can I just call you Naru-chan?"

"Uh…what?"

"All right! Naru-chan it is! Anyway, Naru-chan, our other worker should be here right about now, so when he gets in, I'm going to ask him to show you how to work around outside. After that, you're on your own! Good luck on your first day, Naru-chan!" I stood there, still smiling happily about the job, a bit confused about "Naru-chan" and wondering who the other worker was, when she suddenly poked her head back in. "Oh, and Naru-chan, come see me after your shift, it ends at 4:30, because I have to give you your hours. You are a high school student, right?" I nodded dumbly at that, and she disappeared again, off to do who knows what. After a while, I looked over at the clock: it read 11:30. So I only had to work about five hours today (3), it seemed. It wasn't that long, but it would keep me occupied. For a while at least.

I sighed, and made my way outside, towards the serving section of the café, where all the customers were, making note of everything I passed on my way. I momentarily wondered what the lockers were for, but then I was outside. During the short time I was away, the small café had filled up. There was now a customer at nearly every seat inside, and the outside seats were filling up too. I was surprised: I'd never known this café to have this many customers during the whole time I'd lived at the apartment.

"Naru-chan, you have to wait until - ah! He's here!" I looked towards the door to see who was there, since I didn't know who she was talking about, or what I had to wait until. In my shock, I tripped over something and fell, face first on the floor. Rani started laughing really hard, pointing at me, and some of the customers got up to see what the ruckus was about. Those who saw me started laughing too. But, what surprised me was that it wasn't in a mean way: it was as if they were subtly teasing me. That made me very happy, and I started laughing too. I didn't really know what was so funny, but I didn't really care either.

After a while, all the laughter died away.

"Hmph." I didn't recognize the voice immediately, but I could tell it was familiar. I looked up to see who it was, still smiling brightly, and my smile faltered.

"Teme!" I growled out.

"…"

"So you're going to be Ms. Ice Princess after all, huh?"

"…" Again, no reply. It was really starting to get on my nerves. Then, the teme just nodded to Rani, questioningly, and walked past me, as if I was dust. My happy mood instantly disappeared, replaced by annoyance which would soon turn into anger.

"Ah! Sasu-chan!" Rani called out and he turned to stare at her.

"Pfft!" I covered my mouth with both my hands instantly, and tried very hard not to start laughing like a maniac. Knowing me, I'd probably start rolling on the floor too. I really didn't want to embarrass myself like that, especially on the first day. Especially not in front of the teme.

It was a while before I got control of myself, but there was something bubbly in my stomach, just telling me to be mischievous, and it took all my will power to resist it. When I noticed the silence, I looked up, and saw the Uchiha giving me his most powerful death glare, accompanied by a look that said 'Don't-you-dare-tell-anyone-or-I'll-make-sure-you-don't-live-to-see-tomorrow.' I smirked at him. His death glares had no effect on me anymore. I didn't plan on telling anyone, but I was definitely going to tease him about it.

"Um…Anyway, Sasu-chan, this is Naru-chan! He's going to work here starting today. He has the exact same shifts as you, so make sure that he's always here, or have a reason why he's not here. Naru-chan, say hi to Sasu-chan."

"Hi, Sasu-chan." Oh yes, I was going to have tons of fun with this. Especially the way he twitched when I called him that. It was funny. Actually, it was hilarious.

"Anyway, Sasu-chan, show him how to work with the customers, and after two or three practice rounds, I think he'll be good to go! Remember, Naru-chan, after your shift, come see me."

"Yes, Rani-san."

"And no '-san' at the end of my name!" This she barked out as a command, and I didn't disobey.

"Okay, Rani."

"Well, get to work, you two!"

The teme disappeared behind the door leading out back, and came back out just as quickly, now having an apron with the letters of café spelled out. It was rather simple, just plain white, with hints of a light blue. The letters were spelled out in a darker blue, which was still pretty light, and none of it stood out too much. I had to admit, though reluctantly, that he looked pretty good in it.

My temporary good opinion of him was as quickly lost and gained, when he turned to glare at me again.

"Teme, is that all you know how to do? I wonder how Hinata-chan puts up with you." The last sentence was muttered under my breath, and I didn't really mean for him to catch it. But he did, sadly. His glare was at once replaced by a soft look, and if I looked close enough, I could see a bit of sadness in his eyes. He looked away, and gestured for me to follow him, handing me a notepad on the way, and a pen. He grabbed one of each for himself.

"Now pay attention, dobe (4). I'm only going to repeat myself so many times. Oh, and write down all the orders, even if I am writing them down, it'll help you get familiar with the menu."

"Don't call me dobe, teme."

"Hn."

I followed him out to the first table, the one closest to the counter.

"Hello, and welcome to the Café! Have you decided what to order yet?" I could sense the fake enthusiasm in his voice, and there wasn't even a smile on his face. However, the customers, two females, just had their eyes turn into hearts, and their knees, even though I couldn't see them, turn to mush.

"Um…We'll have…the special for today, and some black tea." One of them finally answered, after recovering from the general impression he left on them. Sadly, ladies, he's taken.

"Two specials, and two black tea's," Sasuke asked, and they nodded in confirmation. He quickly scribbled that down, with me following suit, while asking if they wanted anything else. "Will that be all for you today?"

"Well, it would be nice if -" The girl on the right was cut of by what sounded like a swift kick from the other girl.

"Yes, that will be all." The other girl finished for both of them.

"I'll get back to you as soon as your orders are finished." With that, he turned on his heels, went up to the counter, put the piece of paper down, and moved on to the next table. It was pretty much the same routine, ask then what they wanted, repeat their order, and ask if that was all, then go and put the order down on the counter (5). After a while, Rani started serving the tables that we'd already taken the orders for, and the teme finally let me serve a table on my own. He was at the next table, of course, closely listening for any mistakes in how I spoke and how I acted. I grinned inside; I wasn't that slow, sucker. Apparently, he was satisfied by the way I served them, and let me serve even more tables on my own. It wasn't really that hard, and before I knew it, it was nearing 4:30. The crowd had considerably lessened, and I'd even found some time to sit down! I really like working there, since there wasn't anyone who was bothering me, or being mean to me. I knew I'd made a good choice when I walked in the door.

The only annoying thing was the teme. I really wondered what he was doing here, since I remember Hinata being "busy" today. Don't tell me…That he'd done something to her! With that idea in my head, I waited impatiently until my shift had five more minutes left, went up to Rani, and got my schedule, then stomped up to Sasuke, who was just about to leave.

I stood before him, my arms folded across my chest, and my weight resting in my right hip. There was determined look on my face, and I looked very strange, which was the overall impression. I could see that reflected in his blank eyes.

"What, dobe?"

"Don't call me that, teme! Anyway, why aren't you with Hinata-chan?"

"…"

"She said she was going to be with you today, so why are you here?"

"…"

"What did you do to her?"

"…I didn't do anything to her, dobe." By then, we were outside, and had started walking in the general direction where all the rich people lived.

"Then why -" I was cut off.

"You're being too loud, usuratonkachi (6).

"Hm…Well then why?"

"…" He didn't reply, but I stayed quiet as well. I could tell he had something to say.

"Why should I tell you, dobe?" He might as well have bonked me over the head.

"What the hell? Hinata-chan's my best friend, that's why! And she'll never tell me if she got hurt, so you'd better tell me, before I pound you to the ground."

"…"

"…"

"We broke up…"

"Oh…" I stopped in my tracks for the shortest amount of time, before walking again.

"She said she didn't think we were working out…" There was something intensely sad about his voice. "So we broke up…"

"…Man, you must've really liked her…I've never seen you this sad…" Well that was because I barely ever spoke to him, but still, I was at least being considerate, right?

"…I did…" Those words were followed by a sigh. The traces of the Uchiha pride still obviously there and fighting to resurface were being forced down by his depressed state. For some reason, I wanted to help him get out of it. It just didn't feel right, to not have his glare or even the black look fixed on his face all the time, or even for a moment. But, that wasn't why I wanted to help him. Nope, of course not. I just wanted to help Hinata-chan, yep that was it. I knew she'd never willingly break up with someone who she liked as much as she liked the teme, so there must've been something wrong.

"I know!" I was suddenly bursting with energy again. "I'll talk to Hinata-chan, and see what's up, 'cause I know she wouldn't just break up with you. Trust me, she doesn't think that, I should know!" I started jumping up and down, because I personally thought it was a great idea. I knew she'd listen to me, and tell me if I bothered her about it. I also noticed by then that we were nearly at the Hyuuga Palace. "We're here! Okay! I think you can just come in, while I talk to her, and you two should be back together in no time!"

"Dobe…Who said I wanted to get back together with her?" Even though his tone was snobby, I could here the hint of hope that was in it. For some reason, it made me kind of sad that he really did want to get back together with her, but I dismissed that thought.

"Teme, it's really really obvious."

"…" accompanied by a glare was my response.

We walked up to the gates together, and I chatted away at something completely random that wasn't even on my mind. That was probably why I didn't remember what it was, but walking next to him felt nice. Really nice. It thought it was because he was someone different, not my usual friends, and he wasn't insulting me. I mean, it made sense. On the way up to the palace, I saw a car standing completely out of place. I recognized it as Shino's. I wondered what he was doing here…Maybe Hinata-chan had told him that she'd broken up with Sasuke, and not me? No, that wasn't possible, since I was the only one who knew that she was going out with the teme. So what was he doing there?

As I stared at the car and walked forward, I tripped. Again. Damn it! It was starting to get really embarrassing to keep falling on my face near the teme. And it was on gravel! It hurt! A lot!

"…Usuratonkachi…"

"Hey! Teme!" I quickly scrambled up, my face flushed red with anger and not embarrassment. "Shino, huh? Wonder what he's doing here…" I mumbled underneath my breath. And that was followed by silence. That really surprised me. The teme usually heard me when I mumbled things underneath my breath, and this shouldn't have been an exception. Except it was. Damn, he must've been really happy to not be paying attention to his surroundings. It was strange and unnatural. It was completely unlike him.

So, I did the best thing I could have done at the moment. I went up to him and punched him, very hard, on the back of the head.

He hit me right back.

"What the hell, teme?"

"You're the one who decided to hit me first, dobe."

"Well that's cause you're the one who decided to stare off into space like you were the happiest person on the face of the earth, teme!"

"…No, I wasn't dobe. I was paying attention to where I was going."

"Like hell, you were, teme!"

"Shut up, dobe!"

"Make me, teme!"

"…" He suddenly shut up, and rearranged his features to a glare, turning to face the door, listening intently. Soon, I heard it too. Shouting. Yelling. Two very familiar voices. From inside, and getting closer. I don't know why, but I just grabbed Sasuke and hid behind the yet to bloom sakura (7) tree that was just a few convenient yards from us. I made sure that our shadows couldn't be seen, and that our presence was well hidden. The convenient bush next to us really helped us out. We weren't even that far away from the main path, so I could spy on the two that I knew to be Kiba and Shino.

Kiba seemed to be very pissed off at Shino for some reason, and Shino, even though his eyes were covered with the usual sunglasses, seemed a bit sad. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but you didn't need an IQ of two hundred to figure out that the two best friends were having a fight. Obviously, Shino had said or done something to upset Kiba, and Kiba was very angry about it. I was so into the fight that I didn't even pay attention to the teme that tried to sneak out of the tree and just go into the house; but, my hand was still clasped around his blue shirt, so he wasn't able to go anywhere. Being that smart bastard he was, he didn't speak.

Kiba's volume suddenly got louder.

"And what the hell did you think I would say to you?"

Shino mumbled back something I wasn't able to understand.

"Oh really? Why the hell did you think that?"

Another round of incomprehensible mumbles. And yes, I actually know what that means.

"Don't you already know that I like Hinata?"

And another round of mumbles. It was getting rather annoying to only have Kiba's words to go off of, since they didn't really tell me what the fight was about. If only Shino could speak a bit louder. But, suddenly, he didn't need to. The reason for the fight was just laid out right in front of my eyes. Out of nowhere (or at least, that's what it seemed like to me) Shino just grabbed Kiba by his jacket and kissed him. Very forcefully. And, from the looks of things, Kiba kissed him back. They were having a make-out session, right in front of the Hyuuga Palace, where all acts of, leading to, or hinting around gayness was forbidden. Damn. Shino had guts.

It took a while, but I think Kiba finally realized what he was doing, and who he was supposed to be in love with. The fact that Shino liked him was a shocker, at least to me. Sure, they were as close as best friends, but I never thought that Shino actually liked Kiba like that. I thought about it quickly, and it actually made sense. The two made a pretty good couple. It would actually be kind of perfect if the two went out. But, knowing Kiba, it would be a long, long, long while before that would happen. He resumed shouting.

"What the hell? I told you, I don't feel that way about you!" With that, Kiba turned around, and stomped off, exiting the Hyuuga Palace gates on foot. Shino looked down sadly, and started walking off towards his car, as if the world was ending. Knowing him, it probably was.

Once the sleek Mercedes drove off, I turned to Sasuke, who was, again, glaring at me, as if asking, "And we had to stop for that, why?"

I was the first one to actually say anything.

"Whoa…That was intense…" My voice trailed off, and I got lost in my thoughts once more, as I stepped out of the tree and walked off towards the palace, completely ignoring the fact that there were branches and leaves stuck in my hair, making up a disheveled look. I didn't have to look behind me to know that Sasuke was following me. This was the first time that I was actually being completely silent around someone other than Hinata, but that was only because I had a lot of things to think about. They were all, however, mainly focused on getting Kiba to accept Shino's feelings, because I knew they were pure and true.

Surprisingly, as deep in my thoughts as I was, I didn't fall the whole way to the palace, where I was greeted my Neji. He smiled at me, a happy smile, but when he saw Sasuke, a tone of sadness entered the smile. That reminded me of why Sasuke was here.

I asked where Hinata-chan was, hoping I could talk to her that instant, instead of waiting until later in the night, but apparently she wasn't home. I then asked Neji why Kiba had come over in the first place, but cut him off as he was about to answer.

"He was going to ask her out, wasn't he?" Neji nodded, albeit a bit reluctantly. Another idea then popped into my head: Neji seemed to know a lot of things (things that he wasn't supposed to know) so he might know why Hinata-chan had broken up with Sasuke. I voiced my thoughts, and I was right. Neji was about to explain why she had to break up with Sasuke, when a new, and commanding voice interrupted him.

"Ah. I see we have visitors, Neji. Welcome, Uzumaki-san, Uchiha-san."

* * *

(1) An OC. Her name is pronounced Ne-eh-nah.

(2) Another OC. Her name is pronounced Rah-nee.

(3) Well, I've never really worked at any place before (I'm not old enough yet, for most places). So, just wondering, is five hours a lot?

(4) That is mainly what Sasuke will be calling him from this point on.

(5) Again, I've never really worked at any place before, much less a café. The way I described is just what I've noticed from the actions of people in restaurants, and other fics. Please tell me if I'm missing anything, or if anything's wrong!

(6) Well, the anime makes it out to mean something like "you idiot/moron." So lets just say it means that, okay? Oh, and it's another pet name Sasuke's going to call Naruto.

(7) Sakura means cherry blossoms.

**Okay, third chapter done! Thanks for bearing with me this long, and like always, please please please review! I'm so serious, they actually get me pumped up to write! This morning, when I saw rglover's review, I suddenly got really happy, and started writing the third chapter, so please review, and I'll write faster!**

**Also, I'm going to do a Christmas fic, for SasuNaru (of course), but I might do another pairing too! They're both going to be posted at midnight on Christmas Eve, EST, so please check them out! I'll let you know what they are called with the last chapter I post for either of the two stories I have: The titles will be written at the A/N at the end, so read on! Also, any suggestions for another pairing I might do? It doesn't have to be a yaoi pairing, it can be any pairing, and crack pairings are accepted! So just drop in and let me know, okay? I'll do the pairing (or maybe, just maybe) pairing_s _that I think I'll be able to write a good story out of!**

**Thanks, and remember to review, please?!**


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